One method to raise temperature is through shivering. It produces heat because the conversion of the chemical energy of ATP into kinetic energy causing some of the energy to show up as heat. It is not 100% efficient. No real movement is produced in shivering because opposing (antagonistic) muscle pairs are activated at the same time resulting in the shivering. An example of shivering thermogenesis is the process by which the body temperature of hibernating mammals (such as some bats, some ground squirrels, etc.) is raised as these animals "wake up" from hibernation.

Non-shivering thermogenesis usually occurs in brown adipose tissue (brown fat) that is present in human infants, and hibernating mammals. Non-shivering thermogenesis can be obligatory or facultative. Obligatory thermogenesis is the heat production automatically caused by the metabolic rate, while facultative thermogenesis can be activated in cold exposure to raise body temperature.